To be published June 20, 2023. I received an Advance Reader's Edition of this book of short stories through a Goodreads Giveaway. This book was translated from the original Spanish. The author has packed great emotional depth in a tightly contained amount of words. Most stories share themes of death, loss, murder, suicide and the New Year. The story entitled "Candy Pink" stood out the most for me. Altogether, this collection is well crafted and intriguing.

My thanks to the author, Augustina Bazterrica, and the publisher, Simon and Schuster, for my early copy of this book.

Overall Rating- 2.5

• A Light, Swift, and Monstrous Sound- 3 5
• Roberto- 2
• Unamuno's Boxes- 3
• Candy Pink- 2.5
• Anita and Happiness- 2.5
• Dishwasher- 3
• Earth- 3
• Perfect Symmetry- 3
• The Wolf's Breath- 3
• Teicher vs. Nietzsche- 2
• The Dead- 2.5
• Elena-Marie Sandoz- 2.5
• The Slowness of Pleasure- 2.5
• No Tears- 4
• The Continuous Equality of the Circumference- 3
• A Hole Hides a House- 3
• Hell- 2.5
• Architecture- 3
• Mary Carminum- 3.5
• The Solitary Ones- 3

I always wonder what goes through the mind of a horror writer on a day-to-day basis; what compels them to pen words that seem normal to them and make shiver the rest of the population. Nineteen Claws and a Blackbird gave me a window into the soul of a horror writer, uncovering the way that they see the world and its droning day to day. Does Bazterrica see the world uncovered for what it truly is while we see it through tinted glasses? Most definitely, yes. I find I enjoy the way that Bazterrica uses the macabre and the shock of things to address humanity and its ailments; they do so in a tasteful and thought-provoking way without stunning their audience simply to stun them. I don’t enjoy it when ugly is presented without showing the beauty in the ugly as well. I always feel like there should be a point to all this and with this compilation there are millions of tiny world-exposing points. There is purpose in the horror here. It is also evident that this was written with a deep cultural intent and that alone makes this darker and more stunning. It is fierce, and I enjoyed even the unsettling revelations of humanity. The horror here is that Bazterrica takes your real human emotion and reaction and turns it into the monster in your closet, ready to devour you. I recommend this book in all its pieces and its entirety. If you are looking to step foot into this world, read one or two and make your way through the list; savor each story and process the way Bazterrica makes you feel. If you simply love the genre, this is a book you must pick up and consume as it consumes you back.

This collection features a wide range of stories, from truly bizarre, to grotesque, to disturbing reality. Bazterrica showcases their unique talent to create memorable stories in sometimes just a few paragraphs. The collection starts off very strong at the beginning, with some of the weaker stories in the middle. The last few again ramp up the intrigue.

For lovers of weird fiction- give this a try! I would recommend reading one or two at a time instead off all back to back. The impact feels greater when broken up.

I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird was a book of 20 short stories. The stories are slow but yet so quick. They grip you in and just like that, they are over. The lengths of the stories vary. But the overall effect is thrilling and thought provoking.

<b><i>Let me preface this by saying I’m not one to read short story books. However, when I noticed it was the author of Tender is the Flesh (Agustina Bazterrica), I wouldn’t dare pass on the opportunity to read her latest work.</i></b>

I loved the collection of short dark stories. I will say that some were more difficult to understand what was going on. This may be due to the fact that the book is in English and not in her native language. Teicher Vs. Nietzsche, No Tears, and Architecture were some of the ones that were super hard for me to follow along with. I think Mary Carminum or Anita and Happiness were perhaps my favorites and could have been stronger finishers IMO.

Overall, an enjoyable and quick read. I enjoy dark and disturbing though. I’m looking forward to seeing what she comes out with next!!!! 😊

Thank you to NetGalley, Agustina Bazterrica, and Scribner for the ARC of this book.

This was fine. The imagery/prose was interesting but I found the stories themselves generally underwhelming. They may just be too esoteric for my tastes though- what was supposed to be provocative ambiguity just felt unfinished to me.

I am usually not a short story person, but when I saw Augustina Bazterrica, author of the infamous Tender is the Flesh, released a collection, it was an instant must-read.

Firstly I will forever be saddened that I can not read her works in her native language, as I'm sure some things do not translate well. However, I still very much enjoyed this dark, macabre collection of stories that takes you through the raw emotions of life and the human experience.

Secondly, as with most short stories, there were some works, such as The Dead and a Hole Hides a House, that I wish were longer. I wanted more background and a more prolonged moment to stay in these dark works.

Overall I throughout enjoyed the creepy little worlds Bazterrica created in this collection and look forward to more of her works.

I LOVED these stories! I was introduced to Bazterrica's work through Tender is the Flesh, which I loved. However, I think I prefer her short stories. I found these short stories more engaging than her longer work and found them so atmospheric and frightening. I'll be recommending this to all of my horror loving friends. .

Thank you netgalley and scriber for allowing me to read this in exchange for my honest review.

Nineteen claws and a Black Bird is a compilation of dark, short stories. I went into this with high expectations but it wasn't it for me. I felt like the stories started out great, but as the book went on I lost more interest. The stories stopped making sense.

Bunny was my favorite.

So bummed that this one didn't work for me. Only a couple stories held my interest, most were too short to be anything but aimlessly weird. I love bizarre fiction, but these stories lacked intention... or maybe I'm just a dummy and everything went over my head.

I read Tender is the Flesh and that book still lives in my head rent free to this day. I was so excited to hear that another book was coming out by this author. This is a collection of short horror stories that play on what actually goes on in human minds. I wanted to love this but most of the stories fell flat and had little meaning to me. I would read a full length book by this author but I don't think these short stories are for me.

Read like a collection of creepy pasta which may not be for everyone but I enjoyed it. Most stories are quick so it doesn't take a lot of commitment to get through and for the most part they have a fun little gimmick to them that makes them interesting.

This didn't do it for me as much as I hoped/expected it would. For me, most of the stories weren't super memorable and I didn't feel super enraptured by many of them. I did appreciate how short they were though, and many of them accomplished a lot in such a small number of pages. I really really loved the last two stories in the collection, and enjoyed some others.

This collection of stories is a must-read for anyone who enjoys thought-provoking fiction that challenges our perceptions of the world. With an atmospheric feel through most of the tales, the book delivers a diverse range of themes, from the dark and twisted to the mundane and ordinary. What sets this collection apart is the author's ability to expose the horror that can lurk beneath the surface of everyday situations. Fans of Agustina Bazterrica's previous work, 'Tender Is the Flesh,' will recognize her signature style that induces discomfort and pushes readers out of their comfort zones. Overall, this is a thought-provoking and challenging read that is not for the faint of heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for the chance to review this Arc!

**ARC provided by NetGalley, Scribner, and Agustina Bazterrica in exchange for an honest written review.**

I’ve had Tender is the Flesh on my TBR for a while now, after having it recommended to me by a long-time friend. It’s still there, and I think I’ll be bumping it up a little higher on the list following reading this collection of short stories by Bazterrica.

Some of the stories fell flat for me, which I expected. I don’t go into a collection expecting to be enraptured by all of the stories. I’d say about fifty percent of them kept my interest, and the others I speed-skimmed to get the main points.

The stories that stuck out to me enough to highlight portions were: Unamuno’s Boxes, Dishwasher, Earth, and Hell.

The stories that I enjoyed reading were: A Light, Swift, and Monstrous Sound, Candy Pink, A Hole Hides a House, Mary Carminum, and The Solitary Ones.

I think all of the aforementioned stories offer interesting glimpses into the overarching topics that they’re addressing. For example, Unamuno’s Boxes and A Hole Hides a House offer different ways to view serial killers and trafficking situations. By me saying that, I mean that they offer a more abstract (but oddly relatable at times) lens. I’ve definitely been in situations where I dream up scenarios for people I don’t know and are either proven right or wrong (Unamuno’s Boxes). And I think that A Hole Hides a House offers a look into what was previously (and currently in some places) deemed as an acceptable practice (having child brides) and how... unhelpful someone could feel in that situation as a third party observer. As well as how destroying it could be for the victim in that case.

The remaining stories didn’t elicit any sort of reaction from me, but that’s not to say that they aren’t going to be interesting and captivating to someone else.

I think this book could benefit from a more thorough trigger warning list, although I know that the majority of those who enjoy reading horror and horror adjacent genres more or less know what to expect from Bazterrica’s work (especially if they’re read TItF already). As someone who will read just about anything, I can imagine someone picking this up and not really knowing what they’re signing up for if this is their introduction to the genre and/or author.

Again I would like to thank NetGalley, Scribner, and Agustina Bazterrica for the opportunity to read this prior to being published. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity.

This has to be one of the weirdest books I’ve ever read but like not in a good way sadly… I loved tender is the flesh but this short story collection was mostly a miss for me. Some stories were great but some just went right over my head. Some of the characters also felt flat and repetitive to me so I’m bummed. Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this though!

I became a fan of this author with his novel "Tender is the Flesh" and knew that I had to read this collection of shorts from him. This one is not to be missed. Each story is beautifully written and will make you yearn for more. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley!
I’m so honored to get an ARC of this book. I can’t say this about many short story collections but I loved every single story. I would read any thing Agustin’s Bazterrica writes. She writes such haunting and beautiful stories. I can’t wait for publication so I can annotate the book.

This didn't do it for me. Most of the stories started strong, but they never expanded past the first idea. They felt underdeveloped, artificially padded out—which is saying something, considering how short most of them are. I can see fans of the author liking them, especially if they're not big readers of short fiction, but in general, I wouldn't recommend.

(thnx anyway NetGalley!)